- Author
- Sant, G. | Dehadrai, M. | Bentz, D. P. | Lura, P. | Ferraris, C. F. | Bullard, J. W. | Weiss, J.
- Title
- Detecting the Fluid-to-Solid Transition in Cement Pastes.
- Coporate
- Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN Tourney Consulting Group, Kalamazoo, MI National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD EMPA, Switzerland
- Journal
- Concrete International, Vol. 31, No. 6, 53-58, June 2009
- Keywords
- cements | cement pastes | construction | time | stress (mechanics) | structures | calorimetry | rheology | shrinkage
- Identifiers
- techniques sensitive to volume change; techniques sensitive to stress resistance or development; techniques sensitive to structure development; relating structure development to degree of reaction; chemical shrinkage; autogeneous shrinkage; Vicat test; ultrasonic testing; CEMHYD3D; cementitious materials
- Abstract
- The time of set for concrete is extremely important when scheduling construction operations. The fluid-to-solid transition that occurs during setting is crucial in assessing practical construction operations, such as finishing, sawcutting, and curing, and determining when test procedures such as early-age shrinkage measurements should be initiated. The solidification of cementitious mixtures can be identified using a variety of techniques. Each of the investigated techniques indicates that solidification occurs after a similar time period and contributes to a more detailed understanding of the fluid-to-solid transition. The interpretation of the results of each technique are described from a fundamental viewpoint, along with additional insight into the behavior of concrete that the techniques help explain or illustrate. Details of the investigated test methods can be found in a companion paper available with the online version of this article at www.concreteintemational.com.